Breathing when learning front crawl

It’s become very obvious over the last 5 years + of running Sea Swim Cornwall that breathing or simply the act of putting your face in the water is quite a big barrier to swimming front crawl for a lot of people. The other issue is that if you haven’t mastered breathing, it makes it incredibly difficult to then work on your leg kick, arm pull, body position etc when you’re still focused on your breathing. Over the last few years we’ve developed a nice little exercise that introduces breathing technique slowly and in a safe and controlled environment.

Step 1 : this can be done in the open water but I think it’s far better done at home. Simply fill the bath up, then sit on your knees and put your face in the water. You’re simply looking to breath out in the water and then bring your face up and out of the water and breath in. These aren’t big breathes, where you’re filling your lungs up. They’re shorter, sharper and quicker breathes. Repeat this for 5-10 minutes until you’r enice and comfortable doing it at quick intervals.

Step 2 : Once you get used to step 1 try and progress to lying flat in the water (on your knees) and breathing to the side…as you would swimming. You’re then looking to having your face in the water for around 2 seconds (breathing out), turn your head to the side and breath in for around 1 second. Keep repeating this for an initial period of around 30 seconds and once you start to get more confident extend the time period to 1 minute +.

Alternative : you can also try this in the open water or with a bucket full of water. Simply stand just deeper than waist depth and lean forward and follow the steps above.

Step 3 : not really a step. Just remember that in the open water the water is a lot colder! Acclimatise to the temperature before trying these breathing exercises. Don’t go straight in and start try them whilst gasping for air and getting used to the cold!

Step 3 : once you’re comfortable with your breathing start to them work on your stroke. Particularly breathing whilst using your arms.

Remember : worth being aware that lots of people that start swimming front crawl in the open water get worried about taking in a mouth full of water. They try to avoid this by over-rotating and bringing their mouth as far away from the water as possible (effectively looking up). This is fine in the very short-term. The problem with doing this long term is that you’re over rotating to achieve this high breathing position. To prevent yourself from rolling too far over and flipping onto your back your leg kick often then become wider (like the stabilisers on a bike). This in turn creates drag and slows you don’t, as well as sapping your energy and preventing you from getting into a rhythm.

Moving forward : it really depends on your lung capacity but you generally want to breath every 2 if your swimming distance. You can breath 3…and you might find that you swim a little straighter doing so. You do this to try and stay in the aerobic energy system for as long as possible…ie. you continue to use Oxygen. If you go into your anaerobic system earlier than you need to, you’ll more than likely find that you get tired and stiff far earlier.

Why learn front crawl (freestyle)

I offered to teach a group doing a water safety course front crawl and they asked me why they would bother? The question slightly surprised me and I didn’t have an immediate answer. For me it’s one of those questions that I never thought I’d be asked and had never really given any thought to the answer….now that I have thought about it, here’s why.

  • I think primarily the view underwater is often as spectacular or, in some cases more spectacular than the view above. This year we’ve seen a large number of sand Eel and marine life and the usual stunning Cornish underwater seascapes.

  • Cold water does a great job of ‘re-setting’ the brain. Great for your mental health. In warmer water (ie. the summer), swimming with your head in the water, focusing on your breathing, thinking through your technique…does exactly the same. So when the water isn’t cold, you get the same affect.

  • Breaststroke gets the job done but can be quite punishing on the knees and joints. Especially as you get older. If you pick up an injury/RSI to your shoulder or knee you may have to give up swimming.

  • Swimming front crawl (correctly) puts less strain on the body - particularly with the added buoyancy of salt water.

  • Generally speaking, swimming front crawl allows you to cover more distance, quicker, with less energy and resistance (from both the wind and water). Which would allow for more adventurous swims or simply more variety.

  • Even if you weren’t to swim front crawl that often. It’s nice to have the option.

  • From a safety point of view I also think that swimming faster, with less effort is definitely a good thing.

These are our thought on the topic. Quite honestly, we’re just thrilled that more people are swimming and it’s gained such popularity. However you swim…keep it up!

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Common Problems with front crawl stroke

Sea Swim Cornwall’s Golden Rules

 

We’ve been swim coaching in the pool for around 5 years. The bulk of our clientele are triathletes, people that want to push-on and improve their swimming, a few people new to pool swimming, open water swimmers… The following are very common problems with people that generally only swim on the odd occasion, took to swimming late, have come back to swimming after a long break etc.

 

1.        Poor Hip Position – If your hips are too low in the water, your legs are too low in the water and you end up dragging your legs through the water, rather than having a nice streamlined position on top of it. As well as having a poor leg kick, they also consumer energy and Oxygen, as well as creating drag. Engaging your core and raising your hips is quite a tricky thing to coach. Have a look at the following video  :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQbjMjneBH0

 

2.        Poor Leg Kick – closely related to the above issue. Quite often you’ll find that it people have a poor leg kick they’ll avoid doing any leg work in a session! You want your leg kick to improve you have to work on them. Common problems are kicking too low in the water, having too greater distance between your feet, bent knees, stiff ankles (all you runners)…

Whilst you have additional buoyancy in salt water (& wearing a wetsuit) you don’t in the pool. If you primarily swim because you enjoy open water and aren’t bothered about the pool one of the things you can do is to simply not kick. It really depends on your personal circumstances however.

Some dry land work - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4gXjneFXuI

The basics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iirZS3oQ-Q&t=2s

 

3.        Catch. This can be a problem for newcomers and even the most experienced of swimmers. One of the most important parts of your stroke is your catch. It’s getting your hand into a position where your palm is facing your feet nice and early. The longer your palm is facing the bottom of the pool/sea bed, the more your missing out on efficient pull. It’s really important your hand enters the water, you reach your full extension and then you focus on getting your hand into a position where your palm is facing your feet. The quicker, the better.

Check out this slow motion video of Ian Thorpe. Watch how early he drops his wrists and gets in an early catch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b1Fiw9uekM